Tabouli, The Lebanese Way
I am not a cook, but for me I seldom lack for a good meal as my wife is an excellent cook and learned her style in the kitchen with her mother and 2 sisters in Lebanon. Each imparting their special style and nuances to make a dish their way.
One of the healthy salads she makes is Tabouli, a parsley salad that has gotten much attention with health-conscious people on the North American continent.
All the ingredients are fresh.
Ingredients:
2 large bunches of parsley
1 bunch of scallions, just the greens
1 small bunch of mint
cracked wheat, less than a quarter cup
2 large roma tomatoes
2 lemons or 1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup of olive oil
season with salt and pepper to taste and add more olive oil if it seems too dry
The preparation is key and very time consuming. My wife does not use a food processor to prepare the ingredients as that would mush them up too much. A sharp knife also helps
The parsley and scallions would be held tightly and then with the knife, start the process of finely chopping the parsley and once all are cut, dice to cut just right.
All ingredients are placed into a bowl for blending and mixing.
Lemon juice is added and being a purist, she will squeeze the lemons in a juicer although store bought juice will work almost as well but lacks the freshness. While she is cutting the greens, the cracked wheat is sitting in water for no more than 5 mins and then is drained. This makes it softer.
Into the bowl are mixed the parsley, scallions, mint and the cracked wheat. The cracked wheat is a grain, and some parts of the Middle East will use more than she does but it is also a preference. Lastly, she adds diced Roma tomatoes. She prefers the Romas as they have fewer seeds and more pulp.
The tabouli is best served chilled and while served in a bowl, the Lebanese way is to eat it on a leaf of romaine lettuce. A boat of health.
This is a post for the June Challenge of creating an ActiveRain cookbook, but the recipe can be used well in advance of that cookbook being prepared.
Tabouli, The Lebanese Way
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